Ecology and conservation of peripheral populations in the face of increasing disturbance

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Wildfires in western forests are increasing in size, frequency, and severity. These substantial changes in the landscape have unknown impacts on forest wildlife species, especially near the range edges where populations may be ecologically marginal. Ecologists lack knowledge for which range edge populations are viable in the long-term versus unlikely to persist, and one major aim of my research is to determine which factors predict persistence of range edge populations. This line of inquiry is directly relevant both for ecological theory (why species are where they are) and for applied conservation decisions, for example whether to offer legal protection to imperiled range edge populations in one country or province when the range core populations in other jurisdictions are not at risk. Given that fires are affecting populations both in range edges and range cores, I am also examining whether species’ responses to fire are similar throughout the range or if range-edge populations are more vulnerable. My research thus asks how several forest wildlife species respond to fires of different ages, sizes, and severities in different parts of the range; I will also examine how wildlife respond to post-fire salvage logging. The research I propose here includes 5 graduate student projects in study areas in central and southern British Columbia, Washington, Montana, and Wyoming. My students and I will examine snowshoe hares, Canada lynx, bobcats, and mice and voles in response to fire. We will use a range of field methods including radio-collaring, live-trapping for population estimates, and detailed snow-tracking to assess movements and behaviours. Finally, a 6th student will work in conservation policy, examining how legal criteria are being used to protect critical habitat for listed species under endangered species legislation, and the extent to which disturbances such as fire are being incorporated in policy decisions. My work expands our ecological knowledge of how wildlife respond to fires and to salvage logging, and whether fires impact range edge populations more severely. This work has important practical implications for Canada, as we choose which species or populations to list for legal protection, protect habitats for imperiled species, manage furbearer harvests, and make important decisions about prescribed fires, salvage logging, and landscape-scale forest management.